Thalia Grace & The Missing Demigod
by Time Pony Victorious
Summary: Sequel to Thalia Grace & The Ceryneian Hind, so, you know, read that first. [Set in-between The Last Olympian and The Lost Hero] Thalia Grace discovered that Percy Jackson is missing. She takes her band of immortal Hunters across America to find the son of Poseidon, but sometimes, things don't always work out. The coverart is NOT mine, it belongs to Viria, she's awesome.
1. Chapter 1

We slunk into the forest, under the cover of night. The snowcapped landscape was beautiful as we sprinted through as quiet as a shadow. A dozen silvery, glittering girls weaved expertly through the trees, parkouring over the branches like it was nothing. The feeling was exhilarating as I effortlessly leapt through the trees without even breaking a sweat.

The person in the front of the pack held up her hand, a closed fist to stop all of us shortly behind her. I stood, perched on a large oakwood tree and watched where she was looking at. There was a clearing a few meters in front of us. Fresh snow covered the quiet plain that was disturbed by the largest scorpion I've ever seen.

I don't mean those scorpions the size of your hands, I meant as big as a _tank_ large. It was covered in a bloodred thick shell with a massive stinger moving here and there, eager to strike. It didn't matter if he was poisonous, getting hit by that stinger would feel like a car landing on you.

It was one of the nastiest things I'd seen and instead of doing the logical thing like run and hide, I produced my silver archer bow and notched an arrow. Everyone else had done the same but nobody engaged, not until we got the word.

The scorpion scuttled around skittishly, like it was looking for something, but then it stopped in its track and slowly turned around to where we were. Could it sense us this far away? Slowly, the scorpion made its way to us. We stayed in position, waiting for the order. The scorpion was 30 feet away, 20… 15…

She released her fist and we fired a hail of silver arrows at the scorpion. The first dozen only glanced off his tough shell but the next few stuck in the weaker parts of his armor. The scorpion recoiled back and swung its stinger, launching a volley of his own of projectiles.

We readjusted our aim and fired at the stingers, taking them down in the air and went back to the scorpion. The ground hunters charged the scorpion, wielding swords and spears and stabbed and jabbed at the monster. The scorpion recoiled back from the assault but our arrows didn't stop, they were more accurate than laser-guided missiles. I got the scorpion's left eye, causing it to roar in pain.

Finally, the lieutenant stepped out of the forest.

Her choppy black hair and dark eyeliner made her look kinda punk, but I thought it was cute, like us she wore silver snow parkas and white and gray fatigues. She carried a silver bow and quiver just like us but there was a silver tiara on her hair lopsided, the mark of Artemis's lieutenant.

She growled angrily at the scorpion like he made fun of her hair or something, but I knew why she was so upset. Instead of brandishing her bow, she tapped the mace canister she kept dangling on her pants and it elongated until she was holding a wicked lance.

"Get back!" she warned the hunters. They understood immediately and scattered.

Raising her lance caused the sky to darken. Storm clouds rolled in and thunder rumbled. Lightning crackled and shot down from the sky hitting her lance and bouncing off to the scorpion. The light was so bright I had to look away until an earth-shattering explosion made me look back.

Where the scorpion was only layed a giant crater.

Thalia Grace twirled her lance like a baton and it shrunk back down to the canister. She turned around and looked at us as we emerged from the forest.

"A dead end," she decided. "We aren't getting any closer."

She sounded so miserable but you wouldn't think it. Her eyes were hardened and a deadly glare was kept on her face which made the other hunters wary.

"It'll be fine," Phoebe, her right-hand, said. "We'll find him."

She didn't look convinced. I wanted to say something but my voice got caught in my throat. Thalia glanced at me and my entire body buzzed like she was electrocuting me with a look alone.

"You did pretty well for your third hunt," she told me. I blushed and brushed my hair behind my ear.

"T-thanks," I said, looking at my shoes.

Thalia stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. I looked up and she was grinning at me, making my heart flutter. "It was definitely a good choice picking you up, Daph."

My toes felt warm and I couldn't stop myself from grinning like an idiot. Thalia turned back around, studying the crater she created intently.

I looked toward the other girls who had begun setting up camp. I was the newest recruit for the hunters, so I didn't have many friends at the moment, but I approached one of the girls.

"Hey, um, do you guys know why Thalia and Lady Artemis are so intent on finding this guy?" I asked.

She smiled at me like we were sharing an inside joke. "They have a soft spot for him."

I frowned. "But, he's a guy."

"Exactly."

It was weird imagining Thalia being nice to a guy considering how dangerous she is when she's hunting. Like the scorpion she just obliterated? That was her going _easy_.

"But why? Who is he?"

She gave me a strange look then blinked. "Oh, right. You're new. Well, this guy is pretty important, he kinda has to be if _Artemis_ likes him. A few weeks ago, he saved all of Olympus in a terrible war. I met him once, he's cute."

I gave her a look.

"Hey, I may not be allowed to touch, but there isn't a rule saying I can't look," she said.

"I don't see the big deal," I huffed childishly. "He's still a guy."

She nodded. "Yeah, well to Artemis, Percy Jackson isn't just a guy."

I nodded and thanked her, letting her get back to her tent while I worked on my own. I watched Thalia argue with Phoebe, a twinge of jealousy prodded at the back of my mind. Like, why couldn't she be more concerned with _me_ instead of this Jackson guy?

My name is Daphne Winters, I'm 16 years old and the newest recruit for the Hunters of Artemis. This is my story.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to Kiki licking my face and crawling underneath my blanket. No, that wasn't a weird euphemism or anything; that actually happened. Kiki was a giant white wolf with beady red eyes, she looked like a pony with really shaggy fur and while she sounds scary she's an actual sweetheart.

You see, Hunters of Artemis get pets that assist in hunting. Some choose birds, some choose cats, I choose the giant wolf. Kiki and I were drawn to each other from the start. As soon as I saw her, I knew I wanted her, and that was before she tackled me and licked my face.

Like us, our animals are made immortal and can never die unless they fall in battle but even then Artemis replenishes their spirit and they're reincarnated into something else. It's actually kinda nice to know they have a good retirement plan in the afterlife, I wonder what would happened to Hunters if they died, would they be reincarnated into a deer?

Anyways. I woke up to Kiki, her breath smelled suspiciously of bacon and leaves but I didn't question it. She was licking my all over my face in that helpful way that wasn't helpful at all and I groaned, pushing her face away from me.

"Kiki," I mumbled. "Stoppp."

But Kiki whined and nuzzled her nose into my shoulder but I just rolled over. Frustrated, Kiki stepped a bit closer and laid down on my face, putting her chest on my chest and refusing to move until I woke up. Finally, after I was unable to breath, I pushed her off me and sat up instantly.

Kiki was sitting in the corner with a pleased expression on her face but I just stuck my tongue out at her. She sat down and watched me as I got ready. I probably looked like a mess which usually never bothered me but not when I was around Thalia.

I looked down at my butterfly pajamas and decided it probably made me look like a friggin' kid. So, I changed into my Hunter's clothes and grabbed a hold of a mirror. My dark brown hair was a rat's nest and stuck up on one side while the other was completely flat, like I lost a fight with a particularly aggressive pillow.

There was still droll all over my face but you couldn't see it that well thanks to my dark complexion and dark eyes. I looked okay considering Kiki's wake-up call, even my nose-stud wasn't bothered by her. It still amazed me how different I looked compared to the me only a few weeks ago. I looked more confident, sorta wiser, there was a glow to my skin like I sprinkled starlight over my face.

I didn't admire myself for too long, however, I knew that Thalia would be up sometime soon so I fixed up my face and hair and as soon as I was ready I left my tent. I was trying to look all graceful and beautiful as I left my little tent but I tripped over my feet and nearly face-planted in the snow.

Thankfully there wasn't anyone up yet, so I spared myself the embarrassment. Kiki followed me out and ran up to the center of the camp where the campfire was still going (magically enchanted mind you) and she took a seat right next to it. I sat in front of the fire and stared into it.

It was pretty amazing that I was here right now, honestly if it wasn't for Thalia I'd probably be dead. It was the start of freshmen year and there I was in my dorky little school uniform ready to go off and tread into the world of high school. Like all high school students, I loathed the concept of school and had to stop myself from panicking from the sheer thought of it.

I was walking to school when a hellhound bounded into the street. At the time, the Mist had clouded my view of the monster so I saw what looked like a furry rhino rampaging everywhere. I was so terrified I literally froze up when the beast turned and faced me. It charged at me, opening its mouth and ready to swallow me whole when a dozen silvery arrows pierced its neck and it slumped over instantly, dead.

I was shaking so bad I didn't even react until Thalia melted from the trees and touched my shoulder, jolting me back to reality. "You okay?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkled with confidence and power. I don't remember what I said, but I probably wasn't an eloquent, smooth-talking, flirty romance novel protagonist but I remember she smiled and chuckled slightly.

"No, I'm not Robin Hood," she promised. "I'm Thalia Grace, I'm a hunter."

She explained everything. That she's an immortal hunter for Artemis and the daughter of Zeus and goes around America with the goddess hunting all sorts of monsters and beasts. I believed her without question. I wasn't sure_ why_ I believed, maybe it was because she had killed a hellhound in front of me, but I think it was because I was so awe-struck by her.

She wasn't much taller than me with her punk-style hair, death to Barbie t-shirt over a silvery sleeveless vest and camouflage pants that matched her silver tiara she looked like a hiker who played dress-up. I couldn't keep my eyes off her and when she suggested the chance to join up with the hunters I jumped on that instantly.

Sure, it may have sounded like an impulsive decision but it really wasn't that difficult. I was an orphan being taken care of by the good ol' state of Colorado. I didn't have a family or even close enough friends that made it worth it sticking around. Thalia was a bit hesitant for a moment but agreed and told me how to join, just saying one measly oath and bam, I'm immortal with improbable aiming skills.

One of the benefits of joining the hunters was that the Mist no longer blocked my vision. Monsters, gods and all sorts of Greek mythology _things_ were easier to identify. I wasn't a demigod or anything but dove into this crazy world for Thalia, and honestly I didn't regret it.

"What're you doing up?" I turned around and saw Thalia emerge from her tent. She was dressed even less than I was, in just a Green Day t-shirt that was 3 sizes too big for her so her long legs were left uncovered. I thanked my darker skin tone because I'm sure I was blushing like crazy.

"Artemis is the goddess of dawn, right?" I said, trying to focus on her face than her legs. "I like waking up at dawn… it feels like she's here."

I only met Artemis once, the day I joined the Hunters, but after that it was Thalia leading us. Thalia explained that this behavior was abnormal for Artemis since she used to accompany them everywhere but that Zeus enacted some form of martial law or something. She said after the Second Titan War, Zeus pretty much closed Olympus and nearly outlawed contact with mortals.

When I first met Artemis she was a kid. No, I'm not kidding, she looked around 12 years old and was dressed the same as the hunters so I actually thought she was one of them. But her eyes were disturbingly old for someone with a young face. She looked at me and seemed to see my entire life story in my eyes and nodded, accepting my oath and making me an official hunter.

Although it was the first time I met her, it felt like I knew her my whole life. One look into her deep eyes and I felt a connection there that I never had in any of my foster parents. I understood why these girls followed Artemis, devoting life and body to her. She wasn't just their leader, she was their mom.

Thalia nodded like she understood. "I know how you feel," she said, walking up to me and sitting right beside me. Like _right_ beside me, stretching her legs over mine. "I've never had the best of luck with families but here… I always feel safe here."

I tried my best not to touch her legs and tried to sit as casually as possible, probably failing at it but she didn't say anything. "Yeah, same. It just sucks that she's gone. Did you have any luck last night?"

Thalia's expression darkened, which just made her look hotter. "No," she admitted. "The Iris message didn't go through. I even tried praying to dad…"

I felt a bit uncomfortable, so I focused on her legs a bit. I knew Thalia didn't get on well with her dad. First she wasn't even supposed to be _born_ then she was turned into a tree then she became subject of an apocalyptic prophecy then she became a hunter. I wanted to say something comforting but what could I say?

Luckily, I didn't have to say anything. The campfire erupted in a tremendous blaze that would've burned my eyebrows right off if Thalia hadn't fallen on top of me. We tried to get up but forgot our legs were entangled and we fell right over, Thalia landing on me, her chest pressed against my face.

I wouldn't have minded staying like that all day, but Thalia jumped to her feet and stared at the fire. Reluctantly, I stood up and watched as the fire died down but it was stronger and warmer than before. Kiki was startled as well, now shivering behind my legs, but when a face appeared in the fire she wagged her tail and barked happily.

Artemis's face appeared in the white-hot flames, it wasn't her 12 year old self but an older version. Thalia and I gasped and bowed awkwardly, I thought she would feel embarrassed wearing nearly nothing in front of her but didn't seem to care.

"My Lady," she said. "Where—"

"Time is not on our side," Artemis interrupted gently. "I must speak quickly, Zeus is monitoring the airwaves but with assistance from Hephaestus I am able to get a message to you."

"Of course," Thalia said. "The creature you told us to hunt was a dead-end. We still have no clue as to Percy's disappearance."

Artemis considered it. Secretly, I hoped she would tell us to give up on the search but she nodded and said, "This is disappointing. Poseidon has scoured the oceans for him but has come up with nothing."

Thalia grimaced which felt like my heart was being put through a strainer. "Is there any other trail we can follow?" I asked, keeping my voice level. "Cuz, it's weird that one guy can just disappear off the face of the planet without a trace."

That probably wasn't the right thing to say because Thalia looked like she was going to be sick.

"Old creatures have been stirring," Artemis admitted. "Since the defeat of Kronos there have been a slew of monsters returning to earth. Monsters and humans long dead crawling from the depths of Tartarus. One in particular has been causing trouble recently. Lycaon."

I blinked and stared at Thalia. "Who's that?"

I was only a hunter for a little while so I didn't know everyone and their grandmother from Greek mythology. But apparently this guy was bad news, Thalia's face paled and a hard grimace set on her face.

"The king of Arcadia," she answered. "The first werewolf."

I wanted to laugh but Thalia's tone was so grim and worried I felt it might come across as inappropriate.

"Werewolves are real?" I asked.

"Indeed," Artemis answered. "He was turned into one by Zeus after a horrific crime. He was killed ages ago, no chance of returning but has come to life recently and has been attacking mortals."

"Turning them into werewolves, like him?" I guessed.

The fire darkened and dimmed slightly. "No."

I gulped, suddenly feeling the urge not to watch Twilight again.

"Where is he?" Thalia asked. "Do you think he knows about Percy?"

"It is possible," Artemis answered. "I dread to think what he would do to him if he caught him."

It still weirded me out to hear Artemis concerned over a _guy_ but I listened as she continued, "Last I heard, he was in Nebraska."

Thalia nodded. "Right then, we're on our way, My Lady."

"Good hunting," she told us then the fire flickered and sizzled out.

Thalia looked at me and smiled confidently like she was happy to finally get a decent enough lead. I couldn't help but smile back, her smile is infectious. "I'll get dressed. Daph, wake up the others, we're heading for Nebraska."


	3. Chapter 3

Thing is, it isn't like transcontinental travel is easy for a bunch of well-armed, dangerous hunters. What's that called… A haggle of hunters? Anyways. Normally, I would've suggested an airplane trip considering it's the fastest but Thalia had a petrifying fear of heights. I know, a daughter of Zeus afraid of heights, but don't bring it up to her.

Conventional mortal methods of travel was either inconvenient, slow, or just dumb. Like taking a bus across the US. There are magical vehicles available to us hunters but none of them were on-call considering that Olympus was closed for business.

But I saw Thalia's expression. Her blue eyes glinted with an idea as she rubbed her chin in deep consideration.

"What're you thinking?" Phoebe asked.

"I can call in a favor," Thalia answered.

She didn't tell us what she was thinking and walked off to the other side of the clearing. Phoebe told us to clean up and we all went to work. Clearing up camp was the easiest thing in the world since everything was magically enchanted. All I had to do to pack up my camp was tap the top of it and it flattened and folded until a small bar the size of a bubble-gum pack remained.

Definitely a lot easier than getting tangled up in ropes, if you ask me. I wonder how mortal life would be different with magic like this. You'd probably think they'd take this sort of stuff as a miracle and use it to revolutionize the world. But in truth, they'd probably use it greedily and with bad intentions. According to Phoebe that's basically what happened when demigods invented Velcro.

When I asked if she was serious, Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "Have you _seen_ people who wear Velcro shoes?"

Anyways, it took about ten minutes but we cleaned up everything and were all ready to set off. I looked at the end of the clearing and noticed Thalia standing up from a kneeling position, brushing her knees off. Light shimmered behind her and faded, like an Iris message finishing up.

I approached Thalia and shouldered my pack. "What's our ride then?"

Thalia straightened my coat which made me blush like crazy. "I called in a favor from a friend," she answered. "She's not really happy about it, but she should be here soon."

"Who?" I asked, but Thalia didn't answer just looking out into the horizon. We overlooked the ocean from here, it glittered mysteriously as the sun began to rise. Then in the distance I saw what she was looking at.

"Faster than I expected," Thalia remarked quietly.

From here it just looked like a dark blob in the distance but as it got closer I noticed a few disturbing details. It was a red and black chariot being pulled by four wicked looking horses. _Horses_ not pegasi. They had flaming manes with wisps of fire erupting from their snouts and were as dark as nightmares. The chariot itself wasn't exactly friendly looking. It was blood-red with pictures of people dying painted on it in an Ancient Greek manner.

Looking at it irritated me. I felt pissed like I wanted to punch a wall and eat a hamburger. Thalia placed a hand on my shoulder, calming me down instantly. She looked at me with a knowing expression.

"Clarisse always had that effect on others," she told me. "The stronger she gets the closer she resembles her dad, Ares."

The chariot touched down with the grace of a monster truck and Clarisse hopped off before the horses touched the ground. Clarisse was a scary-looking girl. She was very tall, imposing over Thalia easily, and built like a wall. She looked like she could scare wrestlers back to their moms, no, I'd say she could scare away entire _armies_.

She wore a sleeveless camouflage shirt under a bronze chest-plate. Her biceps were nice and she could probably lift me up with one hand. She had long brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail with a pink and black bandana. A wicked-looking knife was strapped to her camo pants and a spear was kept on her back. She glared at us but smiled slightly as she approached.

Now we hunters weren't scared of much but as Clarisse approached we took a step back nervously, only Phoebe and Thalia stayed in place. I could tell why, there was a dark red aura radiating from her that eerily reminded me of Ares…

"Thalia," Clarisse said with a begrudging smile, grabbing Thalia's hand roughly and shaking it. "Didn't think you'd call _me_ for help, heh."

Thalia returned her handshake firmly and smiled coyly. "I figured since you're in the area looking for Percy as well, you'd be the best choice."

Clarisse cleared her throat and looked away at the mention of Percy's name. From what I heard from Thalia, Clarisse and Percy aren't exactly BFFs, her way of greeting him is sticking a sword in his face. But even _she_ was concerned, it bugged me that this Percy guy was such a big deal.

"So, what do you need?" Clarisse asked.

"Ares's war chariot," Thalia answered.

The four horses still reined to the chariot whinnied angrily and stomped their hooves, flames shooting up from their hooves and scorching the ground. I wasn't sure if they could understand Thalia but if they did, they clearly didn't like the idea of her taking them.

Clarisse crossed her arms and grinned wickedly. "Really? _You_ want my _flying_ chariot?"

Thalia's ears turned pink but she just nodded firmly. "Artemis set us on a trail, Lycaon. She said he might know about Percy."

Clarisse shook her head. "Isn't he dead?"

"Obviously not," Phoebe answered sarcastically, glaring daggers at Clarisse. "Even you have enough brain cells to figure that out."

I thought that would've pissed her off and I expected Clarisse to brandish her spear and charge Phoebe in an epic duel to the death but instead she just grinned and regarded Phoebe as a kid trying to impress her older sis.

"Fine, but I'm coming too," Clarisse said, turning around and facing the chariot. Thalia seemed fine with it but Phoebe took a step forward with an outraged expression.

"Whoa, no you're not," Phoebe said, grabbing Clarisse by the shoulder. To be honest, Phoebe was a brave woman for doing that, Clarisse glared at her so darkly I'm surprised Phoebe was still standing. "This quest is for the hunters, _not_ for some daughter of Ares."

"_My_ ride," Clarisse reminded her with a sneer. "Which means I call the shots, princess."

"Do _not_ call me that," Phoebe snapped.

Then Clarisse did something I didn't expect. She slammed her hand on the chariot and leaned in close to Phoebe who had her back against the vehicle. I was about to draw my bow to help but Thalia gave me a neutral look, as if they do this a lot.

"Why don't you make me, hm?" Clarisse said in a voice softer than I expected she was capable of.

Phoebe blushed and tried to look away from Clarisse. "L-let's just go," she said trying to maintain her angry tone. Clarisse backed up and chuckled under her breath as she headed to the back of the chariot.

The hunters started to head for it but I just looked at it weirdly. "It's a bit small," I told Clarisse. "There are at least 30 of us here."

Clarisse gave me a strange look and glanced at Thalia. "She new?"

Thalia nodded.

The daughter of Ares chuckled. "Why don't you try looking again, runt."

I looked at the chariot again. Yep, just a regular looking war chariot. But then I noticed something weird. There was this sorta afterimage right on _top_ of the chariot, like looking at a holographic Mythomagic card with both the images showing up at the same time.

Blinking hard, I took another look at the chariot. "Whoa," I said. I backed up because instead of a chariot sat a massive blood-red double-decker bus, like the ones you'd see in London. Instead of happy little images on the side of it, again there were paintings of war and death on there that made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. The horses weren't here but the bus rumbled like a tank.

I raised an eyebrow at Thalia as the hunters got on. "Uh, a bus?" I asked.

She nodded, taking my bag and shouldering it. "The chariot usually looks like a tank or a fighter plane or a motorcycle, but Clarisse can manipulate its appearance as well. It is a bit strange you saw the chariot in its original appearance…"

"But, why a double-decker bus?" I asked again, pointing at it like she couldn't see it. "Isn't that a bit Harry Potter?"

Thalia frowned. "Who?"

I had to remind myself that not only has Thalia been displaced in time but she's also a demigod. I doubt she had concerns about Harry Potter or Twilight when she had Percy Jackson to look for.

"Nothing. But uh, what's the deal with Clarisse and Pheeb?" I asked, lowering my voice to a whisper despite the two girls already being inside.

"A while ago, before I was lieutenant, Phoebe tried to recruit Clarisse to the hunters and things got… messy," Thalia explained. "Neither of them wanted to tell me exactly what happened but they said it involved a flaming chicken, a bomb fashioned into a bowling ball and Phoebe being dressed in only a towel."

That was a funny image but I couldn't help but be curious about the lieutenant before Thalia. No one ever talks about her, not even Artemis. "About the other lieutenant," I started. "Who was she? No one talks about her."

Thalia didn't say anything, she just touched her silver tiara. "She was a sister."

That's all she wanted to say before trudging off into the bus with me right behind her. I'll have to ask Artemis about this mysterious lieutenant later. Clarisse sat in the driver's seat and put on an old school bus driver's cap that morphed into a wicked obsidian war helmet.

I took the first seat to the right and Thalia sat right next to me, making me feel a bit self-conscious about my hair.

"Where are we heading?" Clarisse asked.

Phoebe stood up beside the driver's seat and was about to talk but Clarisse put her hand over her chest making her blush furiously. "Sorry princess, can't stand in front of the line."

She pointed to a white line painted on the floor. "Not while the Pain Train is in motion."

"This isn't a train," I said.

"And the bus isn't in motion," Phoebe agreed.

But to prove her wrong, Clarisse revved the engine and floored on the accelerator. The bus lurched and shot off going 0 to 60 in .5 seconds. Phoebe was thrown back. Her face landed in my lap while her legs were on Thalia's.

Phoebe stood up, apologizing to both of us, before yelling swears that I can't repeat here to Clarisse. Thalia barely reacted in fact she was looking a bit paler than usual. Then I noticed she was sitting so stiffly she resembled cardboard, her hands were clamped over her knees so tightly they turned white.

She wanted to appear brave to the other hunters because her teeth were gritted and her eyes were shut tight. Gently, I placed my hand over hers (making her jump a bit) and took her hand into mine. Thalia gave me a grateful smile and squeezed my hand gingerly.

I heard Phoebe explain everything to Clarisse and the daughter of Ares floored it and sped off toward Nebraska.

"This baby is nearly as fast as Apollo's chariot," Clarisse told us.

"Still don't like that thing," Thalia muttered.

"BUT it can go even faster!"

Clarisse gripped the wheel tight and accelerated more, the engine sounded eerily like demonic horses neighing angrily. The bus screeched across the sky going so quickly that everything outside just blurred into an unrecognizable mess. I didn't mind either way, I was just enjoying the fact that I was holding Thalia's hand.

Then the bus rattled and the skyline returned to normal. I couldn't see well out the window considering how high we were but Clarisse dipped down and dove toward the ground. Everyone was lifted off their seats from the momentum but I didn't let go of Thalia's hand.

Thalia yelped slightly, grabbing her seat and trying not to touch the ceiling and I followed her example. Clarisse hooted as the bus sped toward the ground, I heard Phoebe cursing at her but my stomach was too busy training for the Olympics to pay attention.

After five scary minutes the bus stopped to a halt. Well, I say a halt but it practically crashed. I heard wheels pop and windows break but Clarisse just grinned at us. "Here ya are!"


End file.
